Venetian blind



March 16, 1937. B. A. MCGUINNESS VENETIAN BLIND Filed Dec. 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR. W A B i. #4 44. yL AT EORNEY March 16, 1937. BA. M GUINNESS VENETIAN BLIND Filed Dec. 20, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 20 'INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 16, 1937 lJNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND 1 Bernard A. McGuinncss, Winchester, Mass. Application December 20, 1935, Serial No. 55,354

11 Claims.

The invention relates to an improvement in a Venetian blind.

The essential object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the blind may be locked when closed.

A further object is to provide a construction in which the blind may be locked when closed but which will still permit of the slats being opened.

The invention can best be seen and understood by reference to the drawings, in which embodiments thereof are shown, and in which Fig. l is a front elevation of a Venetian blind embodying the inventio Fig. 2 is a cross vertical section of the blind shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective of various details of construction.

, Fig. 4 is a cross section showing especially a plan of the end of blind in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of one of the slats showing the manner in which it is locked to a rod or fixture shown in side elevation.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of Venetian blind embodying the invention.

Fig. 7 is a cross section of the blind shown in F18. 6, and

l represents the slats preferably made of relatively thin sheet metal.

The slats are hung upon chains 2, secured by suitable links 3 to the opposite edges -of thef slats adjacent the respective ends thereof. 1

The chains 2 are passed around head pulleys 4.

Thus mounted the slats will hang pendant from these pulleys, occupying a normally gravitated closed position, and the inclination of the slats may be changed by pull upon the chains.

The ends of the slats, the chains 2 connecting the slats, and the pulleys 4 around which these chains are passed, are all contained in casings 5. These casings are vertical casingsarranged on either side of the window within which the blind is hung, and lie just inside the side casings of the window. The casings 5 are preferably made of sheet metal, and preferably provided with inturned flanges 6 which enter slots 1 in the slats; assisting in maintaining the slats in proper alignment and preventing access to the interior of the casings.

Extending vertically within each of the casings 5, at about the center of the casing, is a metal rod 8 fixed to the casing at the top and bottom. These rods are of sutficient size to be practically inflexible. The rods extend through the ends of the slats by way of openings 9 in the slats. These openings are of sufli'cient size to one of the slats of the permit of the slats moving up and down freely upon the rods. The openings are elliptical in form to permit of the slats turning upon the rods so that the ends III of the slats may be brought to engage with the rods (as in Fig. 5) for locking the slats to the rods by pull upon the chains 2.

For exerting pull the slats to the rods bar l2, the ends of the two casings. In

on the chains 2 for locking 8 there is provided a crosswhich are contained within order that the bar may pass around the flanges 6 on the casing bends 13 are formed in the bar. The lower ends of the chains 2 are connected, respectively, to the opposite ends of this bar. The bar is moved down by means of hand grips H on the outside of the casing, each of which is .connected to the bar by way of a neck piece l5 which extends through and is slidable within a vertical slot 16 in the casing. Extending from the bottom edge of the bar I2 is a tongue ll which passes through the sill III of the window and is retained by a lock I9, located beneath the sill, when the bar l2 has been moved down sufiiciently to exert such strain upon the chains 2 as will lock the slats to the rods 8.

The slats are lifted and the blind opened by means of lifting ropes 20. These ropes are passed through elliptical openings 2| in the ends of the slats within the respective casings, and the ends of the ropes 'are knotted or otherwise retained beneath the under side of the bottom slat. The ropes, extended upwardly, are passed around idler pulleys 22, 23, in the tops of the respective casings, and thence extended inwardly to pass around head pulleys 24 below which the two ropes are merged into a single lifting rope 25.

After the closing and locking of the blind access cannot be had, to any of the operating or connecting parts which either lie inside the window or housed within-the respective casings. 0n unlocking the blind the slats may be lifted by the lifting ropes and have nesting in the usual manner.

In Fig. 6 a modified form of the blind is shown which enables the slats to be opened or closed after the blind has been pulled down and locked. In this modified construction the slats are made sectional in character comprising a central body section 26, and end sections 21 by which the body section is extended at either end, and to which the central body section is pivoted by trunnions 28 on the ends thereof entering sockets 29 in the end sections. v The central body section 26 of the slats are the exposed sections thereof, or which front the opening of the window. The end sections 21 are contained 'within the respective vertical casings 5, the same as the ends of the slats in the construction first described, and are controlled, and the slats looked, as in the construction first described.

The central body portions, however, of the slats being pivoted to the end sections thereof are free to turn to open or closed positions after the I end sections have been locked onto the rods 8, and for the purpose of opening and closing the central body portion of the slats they are provided with the usual harness 30 passed around head pulleys 31.

The advantage of the modified construction is that when the blind has been closed and locked the slats, or at least those portions of the slats which cover the opening in the window, may be opened, giving the advantage of an open blind but preventing one entering the window from the outside.

I claim: 1. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, the combination therewith of casings within which the ends of the slats are contained; mechanism within said casings connecting with said ends of the slats and on which the slats hang suspended when the blind is closed, and means connecting with said mechanism for retaining the slats in said casings when the blind is closed.

2. In a Venetian blind the combination comprising, slats having openings adjacent the ends thereof, rods vertically arranged to extend through said openings, mechanism on which the slats are suspended when the blind is closed, the slats when the blind is closed being turnable to have engagement with said rods, and locking means maintaining the slats in said engagement.

3. In a Venetian blind the combination-comprising, slats having openings adjacent the ends thereof, casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, rods vertically arranged 40 within said casings to extend through said openings, and on which rods the ends of the slats may turn to have engagement with the rods when the blind is closed, mechanism within said casings on which the slats are suspended when (5 the blind is closed and by which the ends of the slats may be turned to effect said engagement,

and locking means maintaining the slats in said engagement.

4. In a Venetian blind the combination comprising, slats having openings adjacent the ends thereof, rods vertically arranged to extend through said openings in the ends of the slats and upon which rods the ends of the slats may turn, mechanism comprising flexible connections 5 with the ends of the slats, on which the slats may hang suspended, when the blind is closed, and the ends of the slats may be turned tohave engagement with the rods, means co-operating with said flexible connections by which the ends of the slats may be turned to have engagement with said rods, and means maintaining the slats in said engagement.

5. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, rods vertically arranged to extend through the ends of said slats and upon which rods the ends of the slats may turn, mechanism comprising flexible connections with the ends of the slats by which the slats may hang suspended when the blind is closed and the ends of the slats be turned to have engagement with the rods, and-means co-operating with said flexible connections by which the end of the slats may be turned to have engagement with said rods, and means maintaining the slats in said engagement.

6. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, the combination therewith of casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, said casings each having a vertical slot in the face thereof, mechanism within said casings connecting with said ends of the slats whereby the slats may hang suspended when the blind is closed, and means connecting through said slots in the casings for retaining the slats in said casings when the blind is closed.

'7. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, the combination therewith of casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, said casings each having a vertical slot in the face thereof, mechanism within said casings on which the ends of the slats may turn and by which the slats may hang suspended when the blind is closed, and means connecting through the slots in said casings for retaining the slats when the blind is closed.

8. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, the combination therewith of casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, said casings each having a vertical slot in the face thereof, mechanism within said casings connecting with the ends of the slats and on which the slats may hang suspended when the blind is closed, hand grips outside said casings connected to said mechanism within the casings through the slots therein, and means for looking said hand grips when the blind is closed.

9. In a Venetian blind having a series of slats, the combination therewith of casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, said casings each having a vertical slot in the face thereof, mechanism within said casings connecting with the ends of the slats and on which the slats may hang suspended when the blind is closed, hand grips outside said casings connected to said mechanism within the casings through the slots therein, a cross bar connecting said hand grips, and means for locking said bar when the blind is closed.

10. In a Venetian blind the combination comprising a series of slats each sectional in form, comprising a central body portion and ends to which the central body portion is pivotally secured whereby it may turn thereon, casings within which the ends of the slats are contained, mechanism within said casings connecting with said ends of the slats and on which the slats hang suspended when the blind is closed, and means connecting with said mechanism for retaining said ends of the slats in said casings when the blind is closed.

11. In a Venetian blind the combination com-' prising a series of slats each sectional in form, comprising a central body portion and ends to which the central body portion is pivotally secured, said ends of the slats having openings therein, casings within which said ends of the slats are contained, rods vertically arranged within said casings and extending through said openings in the ends of the slats and on which rods said ends may turn to have engagement with the rods when the blind is closed, mechanism within said casings connecting with said ends of the slats and on which the slats are suspended when the blind is closed and by which said ends of the slats may be turned to effect said engagement, and locking means maintaining said ends of the slats in said engagement.

BERNARD A. MCGUINNESS. 

